OPINION
With Aston Villa in the middle of a financial crisis after their play off heartbreak, manager Steve Bruce knows he is working at a different level to his Championship counterparts in the summer transfer window.
Gone are the days of big spending and enormous wages, with the midlands club having gambled on making it back to the Premier League and suffering as a result of their failure.
Instead, Bruce has nothing to spare on new players, and must wait until the inevitable happens and members of the current squad are sold off to balance the books and bring in some cash to help the boss rebuild his side ahead of the new campaign.
A clearout of the huge wage bill the club are carrying should ease the pressure, and give the former Hull boss some manoeuvrability in the window – although even then he will have to be scouring for bargains.
One such value-for-money deal could be found in the shape of Barnsley striker Tom Bradshaw, the 25-year-old reported by Sky Sports to have become embroiled in a battle with his club over letting him leave this summer.
It is stated that, with just a year left on his current contract, the hitman, who netted 10 goals last season for Villa’s league rivals, is pondering putting in a transfer request, with the likes of Hull City and Millwall among his reported suitors.
He might not be the exciting signing Villa fans have grown accustomed to, but considering their situation, a bargain is still a bargain, and Bradshaw would likely cost a cheap transfer fee and demand much lesser wages than those currently on the books.
As such, as and when funds are available, Bruce must launch a bargain bid to snap him him, and he would be a worthwhile addition to what is likely to be a much changed Villa squad come the start of the new campaign.